Once In A New Moon
by teresa
Summary: Rating upped for Inuyasha's potty mouth. When Kagome introduces the Inuyasha-tachi to Valentine's Day, the results are mixed, but all are memorable. One shot Valentine's Day fic.


Okay, I'm writing a document in Word Pad.  This shows how completely unable I am to simply wait until such a time when I might return to my lovely computer at school which spoils me and gives me everything I need.  It's terrible, I know, but I've had to live without my daily anime music video downloads and this crappy computer I'm using doesn't even download music at a respectable rate, so I've had to wait on that too.  And of course I haven't gotten any new anime episodes since I came back out here...oh, the horror.  Well, we're all just going to have to deal with it anyway, because I wanted to write a Valentine's Day fic before I got disgusted with the holiday and threw out my idea, so I had to get it done in January.  Makes sense, ne?  Well, let's get this show on the road.

I've been playing with first person POV lately, so I think I'm going to try and write this fic entirely in that fashion, but to do so, I will be switching POV's more than a couple times, so bear with me and I'll try to make it fun.  And I'll tell you before I switch, so don't worry.

Alright, I actually wrote this in January, but I *planned* to post it on Valentine's Day, since that's the whole idea.  However, ff.net crushed my dreams…how cruel…so I'll just post it now.  Whatever.  I've received many reviews suggesting that I up the rating due to Inuyasha's terrible potty mouth…err…mind I guess would be more appropriate.  See, someone reviewed telling me that I fit the word fuck in here 84 times, so I decided to check and see.  Here are the results of my indepth cussing analysis.  Firstly, only Inuyasha cusses, unless you count the part where Kagome thinks the word crap.  For the purposes of this tally, I counted it in my total.  Inuyasha cusses mostly only when he is thinking.  While talking, he says bitch twice, shit twice, calls Shippo a dumbass at one point, says hell three times, and of course, manages to fit fuck into the conversation nine times.  As you might guess, that's not exactly where the excessive cussing is found.  Now I will give you the totals of each cuss word found in this fic, broken down by words said less to the most commonly used curse, and including the questionable words "piss" and "crap" as well as "hell" which may not count in everyone's book, but this was fun!  Here it is, and remember that these are the grand totals, including the previously mentioned cussing aloud and Kagome's momentary mental transgression:

Bastard: 1 time

Crap: 1 time

Bitch: 3 times

Hell: 6 times

Piss: 7 times (used in a reference to getting angry, as in "that brat pisses me off")

Ass: 10 times (this includes the word dumbass as well as badass)

Damn: 15 times (includes all instances of goddamn, dammit, and any other hybrids of damning)

Shit: 23 times (includes the word bullshit)

Fuck: 84 times!  I'm glad that my numbers matched that of my informative reviewer, and my hats off to that person, as it is kind of hard to count cuss words when you're reading the story and trying not to get involved in the plot.  Soooo, if you count even the borderline cuss words, there are a total of 150 cuss words in this fic!  I think it's funny how it works out to such a nice round number, almost as though I planned it that way…well, now that you have been warned excessively about the amount of cussing, I hope I'll stop getting the whining dub fan reviews that complain about how "Inuyasha never cusses!" and such like.  Oh boy…I have waaaaay too much time on my hands.  Hey, jade, bet you can't beat my cussing record!  Oh yeah, almost forgot.  There's implied sexual activity in here, but no real details, despite the new rating.

*****

Once In A New Moon

*****

--Inuyasha's POV--

How the hell did I ever get to this point?  I mean, it's pretty fucking pathetic for a powerful hanyou like me to be watching after this bunch of fucking losers all the time and always having to save their asses.  It's like I'm being fucking punished for some of that badass shit I used to do when I was younger.  Back before I met Kagome.

Not that it's Kagome's fault that things are like this.  Wait...it kinda is her fault, isn't it?  First she fucking lets that damn crow demon take the Shikon no Tama and then she gets that _brilliant fucking plan with the arrows and next thing I know I'm playing fucking babysitter to a goddamned spoiled brat kitsune while having to listen to the single most perverted fucking priest you've ever met trying to score with an uptight youkai hunter with a huge fucking chip on her shoulder and _every _fucking time I decide to put my fucking foot down, she uses that damned rosary and slams my ass into the ground...but you know, I can forgive her for all that.  I'm nice like that._

But why does she always fucking make me _wait like this?  I mean, I'm a patient guy.  Everyone thinks I'm impatient, but you know what?  None of them were pinned to a tree for fifty fucking years waiting for something to fucking happen.  They don't even __know what patience is.  Not that I had much of a choice with that one, but that's kinda off the subject._

The fact of the matter is, I'm the one in charge around here and they all know it.  But Kagome's always fucking laying that damned magical power trip down, sitting me a thousand times just because she likes to make me _insane_, and then she just runs off to her time, putting the whole mission on hold for weeks on end because of those stupid fucking tests.  I hate those things.

Well, okay, so she's never gone longer than four days.  And that time was only because I let her stay longer because she was sick and shit like that.  But that just proves I'm in charge, and I wish she'd just admit it so we could get this whole fucking mission going.  It would all move along a lot faster if she wasn't leaving every two or three weeks.  I mean really, how fucking important are those tests?  Naraku wants to fucking eat the world for all we know, but no, that doesn't fucking stand up to the almighty need to take her fucking tests!  God dammit.

"Inuyasha...when is Kagome coming back?" Shippo's small voice reached me from where he was on the ground even though my tree branch was fifty feet up in the air.

"How should I know?  She never fucking comes back when she's supposed to anyway." I growled irritably, breaking a small branch and throwing it down at him blindly.  I couldn't hold back the smile of satisfaction at his little yelp.

"Well...I wanted to know cause she was gonna get me a present this time!  She said so." Shippo yelled.  I could hear the smug satisfaction in his voice, and he was obviously trying to piss me off.  He always did that shit right before Kagome came back just so he could fucking tattle on me as soon as she stepped out of the well.  Little bastard.  Not to say I don't kinda like the little piece of shit.  I mean, I don't really like him that much, but I'd fucking beat the shit out of anyone that hurt him.  He's just a fucking kid, after all.  And Kagome'd be all sad and pissy if he got hurt.  But sometimes I wanted to pick him up by his little tail and just pitch him as far as I could.  Too bad he never gets lost.

"Shut the hell up.  Spoiled fucking brat." I settled for calling him names, because as far as I could remember, Kagome never sat me for that.  Not that I was worried about her sitting me.  I really didn't care.

"You're just mad cause she never brings you anything nice." Shippo taunted.

"Bullshit.  She likes me better than she likes you, fucking stinker." I retorted, plucking a pinecone off a nearby branch and tossing it at him.  "Who in the seven hells wants to put up with your bullshit all the time?  The only reason she gets you those fucking suckers is so you'll shut the fuck up for ten fucking seconds."

"Nuh-uh!  You're making up stuff!  Stop being mean or I'll tell Kagome!" Shippo used his one and only effective threat.

"Kagome's not fucking here, dumbass.  And if she was, she'd tell you to stop your fucking whining." I reached for another pinecone, but I didn't get to throw it.

"Osuwari!" Those three fucking syllables rang out and that was the end of my fun.  Before I knew it, I was on the ground with a mouthful of dirt.

"Bitch!" The reply was instinct, I swear.  It fucking pisses her off when I call her that, but dammit, it pisses _me_ off when she fucking faceplants me from fifty feet in the air.  "What was that for?  I didn't fucking do anything!"

"You were being mean to Shippo." Kagome sighed.  I felt like an idiot.  Why had I not smelled her coming?  Dammit, if I'd been paying more attention to the forest and less to that damn brat, I would've been able to stop things before Kagome interfered.

"What the hell took you so long getting back?" Okay, it wasn't a fucking brilliant rebuttal, but _you try to think of a good argument when you've just been bodyslammed from fifty feet up and your trying really fucking hard not to notice that you can see straight up Kagome's skirt from where you're laying.  I think I did pretty good, considering the fact that she always wears those panties that are white but these ones had little hearts on them.  No one can fucking think straight with those damn pink and red hearts taunting you like that.  Not that I care.  Cause I don't._

"Oh!  I almost forgot." Kagome smiled right then, and thank the gods for that, cause I was starting to think that I'd never get out of the dirt.  Those fucking hearts were damn fascinating, but her smile is always worth looking at.  I mean, it's not like I'm _trying _to make her happy all the time, but it was nice to know she was in a good mood.  No more sits.  "Come on, guys, we need to get Sango and Miroku.  I have presents!"

"Yay!  Presents!" Shippo jumped up on her shoulder and I glared at him.  Sometimes I wished he'd get fleas or lice or something so that Kagome wouldn't let him do that.  Not that it bothers me or anything.  I just think he's fucking stupid.  "Are they for me?"

"One of them is." Kagome was smiling still, so I guess that was good.  I mean, since it meant she still wasn't mad at me, so there would be at least five minutes without a sit.  I never trusted her moods cause she was always fucking getting angry for no reason.  I didn't understand why Miroku loved women so much, cause he was always making them even angrier than _I was, and he still never gave up on them.  Fucking insane, I guess._

"Lemme carry that." I reached over and grabbed Kagome's bag.  It's not like I was being nice or anything, but that bag weighs a fucking ton.  I'm surprised she hasn't been crushed to death by it yet.

"Thank you, Inuyasha." she smiled at me, and I looked away after a little bit.  It's not like I cared or anything, I was just watching out for anything that could try to attack us.  After all, they're all pretty fucking weak without me around to protect them.  We were right near Kaede-baba's place, so it wasn't long before we were all walking in, Shippo still sitting on Kagome's fucking shoulder, fucking smug as can be.

"Ah, Kagome-sama.  Thank goodness you have returned.  Inuyasha was growing quite anxious." Miroku stood when we entered, and I shot down his stupid comment with a glare.  Stupid damn monk talks too much about shit he knows nothing about.

"Welcome back, Kagome-chan." Sango smiled, and I noticed that the old hag was out of the house.  Probably collecting herbs or healing someone or some other miko bullshit.

"Hello everyone!" Kagome sat down and motioned for me to follow suit, but I'll be damned if she can fucking tell me what to do.  I sat down, but only because I had to set down that clunky fucking bag anyway.  It wasn't because she wanted me to.  And I only sat next to her because I'd be damned if I was going to sit anywhere near Sango when fucking Grabby-Hands McGee was sitting back down next to her.  I may be brave, but I'm not fucking stupid.  "I brought some presents back for you guys.  I really should have only gotten things for the guys, but I didn't want Sango to feel left out, so..." Kagome was digging around in her bag and had already pulled out three packages wrapped in that shiny paper Sango and her thought was so fucking great.  She pulled out a fourth package and handed them out to all of us.  I noted with no small amount of satisfaction that _mine was the biggest.  I _told_ fucking Shippo that she liked me best.  Stupid kid.  "Happy Valentine's Day!"_

"Wow, thank you, Kagome-chan!" Sango was talking, but I was too busy getting through that damned tricky paper.  See, I think that presents are kind of supposed to fuck with you.  You get all excited cause it's gonna be something nice that you get for not doing shit, but then it's got that fucking paper on it.  And of course Kagome insists on putting that girly ass ribbon shit all over it too, so you have to be careful.  Cause it's not like I can't just shred that shit up, but then I'd ruin my present, and it might be food!  So I have to be careful, and it's like a fucking trap, cause if you're too careful, that damn ribbon won't come off, and then you get so pissed, you forget why you didn't want to rip the whole present up to begin with.  Okay, so I'd only gotten two presents before from Kagome, but I knew how the fucking system worked.  I'm smart like that.

"Kagome-sama...this seems to be a large sum of money.  I don't believe I can accept this." Miroku was talking about his present, which seemed to be a bag of gold coins.  I hope she didn't give me fucking human money, cause I hate that human shit.  If I want something, I'll fucking take it.

"Oh, no, Miroku-sama, it's candy.  Look, like this." Kagome was unwrapping the shiny coin paper, and there was chocolate underneath.  I felt sorry for Miroku.  Unwraps his fucking present paper just to find a whole bunch more of that tricky shit.  Sango seemed to have a small box with little chocolates inside, and Shippo was excited because he had received a large chocolate shaped like a heart that was almost as big as his head.  Fucking perfect.  Like that brat needed any more sugar.  I turned my attention back to the ribbon, snipping it skillfully and then pulling away the paper with some caution.  The one time I had accidentally shredded a present had ended with me on the ground and Kagome fucking bawling her eyes out, and I hate that shit.

"Kagome, this is the biggest candy ever!  Thank you!" Shippo was marveling over his heart as I looked down at a large heart-shaped box with some trepidation.  It was red, which is okay, but there was gold and pink on it, making it a little girly.  I lifted the lid, hoping that there'd be something good inside, and it was fucking _ full _of chocolates.  I love chocolate.  I mean...it's good and all, so I guess it was a good present.  I like food, since it's something I can use.  Not like something stupid.  I couldn't really think of what would be stupid if Kagome gave it to me, but I was pretty excited about the chocolate, so that makes sense.

"You're all welcome." Kagome was pretty happy, I could tell, but of course she looked at me.  I think she wants me to say something stupid when she does that, because most of the time, that look means I'm about to piss her off and end up getting sitted.  "Inuyasha, do you like yours?"

"It's good." I offered my approval.  I mean, no need to fucking send her ego soaring or anything.  Presents are good, and that's it.  I'm not gonna fucking kiss her ass or anything, cause what's the point?  I already _got_ the chocolates.

"Hey, yours is bigger." Shippo seemed upset, so that was good.  Except that it might mean he's about to make Kagome sit me.  I hate that.  Not that I care, really.  Cause I don't.

"Yes, but look, Shippo-chan." Kagome picked him up and showed him the chocolates inside my box.  "Inside he only has little ones.  Your chocolate is the biggest, see?"  Okay, I have to hand it to Kagome.  When that little brat's about to start crying and throwing a fucking fit, she can stop it faster than anyone else.  She'd be a good mother, I think.  Not that I'm really concerned with that kind of thing, but I'm just saying.

"That's right!  Mine is the biggest!" Shippo was so proud of that fucking chocolate, I wondered if he was going to ever stop showing it off long enough to eat it.  I didn't really want him to eat it all at once, though.  I mean, I didn't care if he got sick, that's his problem, but he'd probably keep us up all fucking night with his hyper ass shit and then when he got sick, it'd be just as bad.

"What did you say this holiday was again, Kagome-sama?" Miroku started talking in his I'm-Interested-In-The-Most-Boring-Shit-In-The-World voice, so I started eating my chocolates.

"It's called Valentine's Day.  Where I come from, today is a day where girls give presents to the guys that they like...I mean, like as friends.  But they also would give them to their boyfriends, of course, but that's not..." Kagome was blushing.  She's cute like that.  Not that I like that kinda thing.  "Anyway, then there's another day, a month from today called White Day where the guys are supposed to give presents back.  Not the same thing, obviously, cause that'd be kind of rude.  It's fun, though.  But I got presents for all of you since I know you didn't know about White Day either, so I didn't want Sango to have to go without candy."

"Thanks a lot, Kagome-chan." Sango spoke as she looked through her chocolates, deciding which to eat.  I had so many more than her.  I'm the best.  Of course, I knew that _without_ chocolates, but it's just as true.

"Yes, that's very interesting." Miroku was obviously about to start one of his boring ass discussions or something, so I decided to leave and eat my chocolate in peace.  I didn't rush out or anything, but Kagome looked kinda upset when I left.  I don't know why that made me kinda glad, but it did.

----------

--Sango's POV--

I noticed that as Miroku spoke, Inuyasha seemed to let his attention drift away from the conversation.  It wasn't surprising to me.  I'd noticed long ago that there were very few things that could retain Inuyasha's full attention, and although Kagome definitely qualified as one of them, my dear monk did not.

"I was wondering if all presents on Valentine's Day and White Day are typically chocolates, since that is what seems to be the theme with our own gifts." Miroku looked extremely interested in what Kagome had to say, but I knew better.  I could already see his left hand moving casually toward me, just on the edge of my vision.  He was a very presumptuous man, but I suppose we had to keep up appearances.  If he stopped groping me without permission so that I could slap him, someone might suspect that things between us had changed.

"Well, I've always given and received chocolates, but it's not really a rule, I don't think.  It's probably just a commercialization thing."  Kagome told him.  Comm...commer...what did she just say?  Kagome had some pretty strange words where she came from.

"What is commercialization?" Miroku asked.  I was impressed with his ability to pronounce the word almost exactly as Kagome had, but I didn't have long to consider that before I felt his hand finally reach it's destination.

"Hands off!" I smacked him sharply, but I held back quite a bit.  I wonder if he noticed the difference in how hard I hit these days.  I know that I could feel a difference in the quality of his groping, but I think that may have just been my imagination.

"Ah, Sango dear, my hand must have slipped." he smiled warmly at me, and it was hard not to return it.  It was getting more and more difficult to keep up this facade, and I wondered how much longer I could hold out before I finally gave him what he wanted.  Only pride kept me from letting the others know, and every day I could feel his own sad hopes that I would accept him more fully outweigh that pride just a little bit more.  They were on even ground at this point, but it was hard for me to remember why I kept it a secret when his eyes shined like that.

"It won't be slipping again if you know what's good for you." I warned him, trying my best for an angry glare that probably came off looking more like an attempt not to laugh at him.  I turned to Kagome, eager to change the subject.  "So, Kagome, what exactly is the significance of this holiday, then?"

"I'm not quite sure of the history behind it, but Valentine's day is supposed to be the holiday of love.  When you have someone special, you usually spend the whole day with that person doing romantic things." Kagome blushed a little bit, and I was pretty sure she was thinking about Inuyasha.  She even looked back at the door, as though she hoped he would come back.

"But then shouldn't you only give presents to one that is very close to you?" Miroku wanted to know.  I thought he might have glanced at me, but it was hard to say, as I had my eyes trained on Kagome.

"You should give presents to all the people you love most." She explained.  "You guys are my best friends, so of course I had to get you presents.  And Shippo-chan is like a little brother to me."

"I like chocolate." Shippo spoke up from the other side of the room where he was hurriedly gobbling down his candy.

"What about Inuyasha?" I couldn't help but ask.  "I noticed that he received the largest present by far."

"Yes, that is because Kagome-sama is in love with Inuyasha." Miroku pointed out.  "But since he has not acknowledged her feelings she does not want him to feel obligated to spending the entire day with him, so she has settled for giving him a present that is by far larger than the rest."

"Miroku!" Kagome objected right away.  She was so bad at hiding it.

"Kagome, I think you should give him a big Valentine's day kiss!" I teased her.

"Or perhaps you could think of some sort of favor that Inuyasha would enjoy." Miroku grinned lecherously.  "I can think of a few if you need ideas."

"I'm going for a walk." Kagome stood up abruptly and ran out of the hut.  Shippo eyed us momentarily before deciding to follow after his surrogate mother.

"That was subtle." I rolled my eyes.  "If she wanted to be convincing, she wouldn't let it bother her so much."

"I am glad she told us about her holiday, though." Miroku smiled warmly at me.  "I was wondering if you had any thoughts on the idea."

"Idea?" My eyes went wide and I was frozen.  I knew exactly what he meant, but I was still so nervous about doing anything that might cause us to be discovered.

"I wondered if you would like to spend the day with me.  I would enjoy that very much, Sango." Miroku's eyes became softer, and I could feel myself being pulled in.  "We could go off by ourselves..."

"It would look suspicious." I immediately shot it down.  It's not that I didn't want to celebrate this love holiday or anything, but I hadn't yet told Miroku that I loved him, and he hadn't said it either.  I didn't think that it would be right for him to demand my time like that without clearing the air first.  I knew that he really cared about me and all that, but it was kind of hard to place your faith in a man who asked almost every woman he met to bear his child.  Somehow, it didn't seem like the safest bet.  And yet...Miroku's eyes looked so sad when I refused his idea.  I tried to soften the blow, leaning over for a kiss.  His lips moved against mine, but there was something lacking in it.  I could tell that he was upset, but I really hated being wrong.  I wondered what he wanted me to do.

--Miroku's POV--

I felt Sango's lips against mine, and I knew I couldn't resist the temptation of her kiss, but it didn't make me feel any better about the defeat I'd just been handed.  I sighed, turning to her to speak my mind.  "Sango, I don't know if this is working."

"Miroku?  What do you mean?" Sango's eyes widened a bit.  Great, now she looked like she was going to cry.  I hate that.

"I don't mean that I want to stop this." I clarified immediately.  Her face cleared up and I almost sighed in relief.  "I just think that it isn't very realistic.  Sango, I love you and I want everyone to know, but you insist on continuing as though there is nothing between us.  I hate acting that way around you, and I cannot do it forever.  What do you expect of me, Sango?  I cannot simply wait forever for you to decide we do not need to hide from the world.  I want to be with you, but this is not the way I pictured things being when I told you as much.  I do not mean to be selfish, but it is very hard."

"What...did you just say?" Sango's deep maroon eyes were swirling happily and I knew that I must have said something she wanted to hear from the smile tugging at the corner of her full lips.

"I...want to be with you?" I guessed.  I couldn't think what I had said to please her so much.

"No, before that.  What is it that you want everyone to know?" Her eyes were bright with anticipation as I finally caught on to her meaning.

"I love you, Sango." I told her, reaching over to brush my fingers across her cheek.  "I want to be with you always."  It was the truth, but I realized that I hadn't said those words until that very moment.

"Miroku..." she leaned forward, and we kissed again.  This time I was part of the exchange, loving every moment, savoring the taste of her lips and her mouth.  She pulled away just enough so that she could speak while still being so close to me that we were almost kissing.

"I love you too, Miroku." She was crying.  I hadn't seen the tears when we were kissing, but now that my eyes opened to face her, I saw twin beads rolling down her face.  Shifting closer to her, I kissed the tears away, sliding my hand back into her hair, holding her into the next kiss I placed on her lips.  "I wanted to tell you for so long, but I was afraid." she spoke after we moved apart just enough for me to kiss her jawline and neck.  "If...if you want to tell the others, I think that it's a good idea.   I only waited because I had to be sure."

"I understand." I told her, moving my mouth from right below her ear to the junction where shoulder met throat.  I worshipped that spot, basking it in attention as she rewarded me with noises that only Sango could make.  And only I could coax them out of her.  She is so beautiful, so strong, and so right, I had likely loved her from the moment we met.

And now she loved me.

----------

--Shippo's POV--

I really like chocolate.  It's almost the best thing in the world, but I like Kagome better.  She's the nicest girl ever.  It's no wonder that Inuyasha loves her, even though he's so stupid all the time.  Everyone loves her because she's Kagome.  And I know she loves me because she gave me the biggest candy in the world.  The only problem was that I ate it all way too fast, and it made me feel a little sick.

"I told you to slow down, Shippo." Kaede-baachan was picking herbs from her garden for me.  I found her when I started to feel sick because that's what you should do when you're sick or you have a war wound.  Like the other day when I had a splinter and she fixed it.  It was as long as my thumb...no, more like as long as my whole arm!  Yeah, and it stabbed right into my foot and I didn't cry at all.  Okay, I cried a little, but that was only cause stupid Inuyasha made fun of me for limping.  Anyway, Kaede-baachan fixed it.

Kagome could fix it too, but she's gone a lot for her tests.  I think tests must be really fun, because she loves all of us, but she always leaves to take those tests, so they must be great.  I asked her what the tests were for, and she said they helped her learn everything she needed to know.  I think that's pretty funny since she already knows everything.  Maybe the tests will teach her how to make Inuyasha be less stupid.  Those are probably the ones she's always taking.

"My tummy hurts a lot, baachan.  Is it ready yet?" I asked, watching the old lady sitting to grind the leaves she'd gathered.  I knew what some of them were because I asked questions a lot.  I wanted to be really smart like Kagome.  If I get as smart as her, then maybe I can find a way to _make _candy so she doesn't even have to bring it to me!  That'd be the best thing I ever did.  Except all those times when we were fighting and I saved everyone.  Like the last time, there was this humongous monster, and it was so huge that Inuyasha tried to fight it but it hurt him and made him cry and he hid behind Kagome and I had to kill it with my sword.  Oh wait...that was a dream.  But it happens a lot like that all the time.  That's why I'm the leader of the group.  Kagome said I could be.  Well, she didn't say it, but if I asked her, she would let me.  She's like a leader too, but she needs me to save her from monsters, and I need her to save me from Inuyasha when he's being stupid and mean.

"We'll need to boil this so you can drink the tea." Kaede-baachan stood up and I followed her, my little hands holding my aching stomach.  Maybe candy wasn't really as great as I thought it was.  It was almost like Inuyasha, cause I liked it a lot, but if I got too much, it hurt me.  Yep, that's almost exactly the same.

"What's that noise?" I asked the old lady when we got close to her house.  There was something going on inside, I could tell, but it didn't sound like anything I could think of.  Maybe Miroku and Sango were fighting, since we left them in there alone, but I wasn't sure, since it sounded kinda strange.  There was some yelling, I guess, but it was different sounding.  So I snuck up to the doorway to check, since I didn't want Kaede-baachan to get hurt by a big monster or anything that could be waiting inside.

"Shippo, don't go in there." she warned me.  Yep, that's just how it is.  The girls get really scared of stuff and I have to protect them.  Lucky I'm so strong and brave.

"Don't worry, Kaede-baachan." I waved at her, hoping she'd be fine without me.  Getting down on my belly, I peeked underneath the doorflap, and you wouldn't believe what I saw in there.

It looked like Miroku and Sango were wrestling, and I think it was probably because Miroku was grabbing her all over, but Sango was pulling on his robes like she was trying to get them off.  That was a weird way to fight.  I mean, how would Sango beat Miroku by stealing his clothes?  Besides, he was stealing her clothes at the same time, but I don't think Miroku would fit into her kimono if he tried to cover up with it.  I didn't get to see any more because then Kaede-baachan picked me up and carried me away, saying how she'd find another place to make me medicine.  Like I cared about the medicine!  I wanted to know who was going to win the fight!

"Hello, Kagome." Kaede-baachan waved and I looked up, excited to see my favorite person right there.

"Hey, Kagome!" I squaled, jumping up into her arms.  She looked kinda sad, but I was pretty sure it was because of Inuyasha.  He always says the stupidest things and then she gets sad.  That must be why she was walking alone.

"Have either of you seen Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.  I shook my head and then my tummy did a backflip.  I don't think you're supposed to jump when your stomach hurts.  "Shippo, are you okay?  You look sick."

"He ate all your candy all at once, and now we're going to get some medicine, aren't we, Shippo?" Kaede-baachan asked me.  I nodded, wishing my tummy would stop being angry at me.  Maybe I like chocolate and it doesn't, so it got mad that I ate so much.  Kagome set me down and I felt a little better, but I was glad Kaede was gonna fix me all up.

"Why aren't you going back to the hut?" Kagome asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, we didn't want to trouble anyone." Kaede answered quickly.

"Yeah, plus it woulda gotten knocked over cause Miroku and Sango are wrestling.  And they're trying to steal each other's clothes, but I think Sango will win!" I told her helpfully.  After all, Kaede didn't see what was going on inside, and I did.

"Wrestling?" Kagome looked confused, but Kaede pushed me forward before I could explain.

"Just stay out of the hut for now, Kagome." Kaede warned her.

"All right." Kagome made another face to show she didn't understand, and then she waved at us.  "If you see Inuyasha, tell him I'm looking for him."

"We will." Kaede pushed me forward again, and I went.  After all, my tummy hurt a lot.  But I still love chocolate.

----------

--Kagome's POV--

Confused by Kaede's warning, I decided to check out the hut for myself and see what they were so worried about.  It seemed as though Sango and Miroku were fighting again, though I couldn't understand why they would actually be wrestling.  Maybe Sango tackled Miroku.  Shippo had mentioned clothes-stealing, so she was probably very upset with him.  Maybe he had taken her obi.  That must be embarrassing for poor Sango.

Just then, I reached the hut, but it did not sound as though there was any fighting going on inside.  In fact, the sounds were enough to cause a blush to cover my face in no time at all.  I could tell it was Sango and Miroku, and I had a pretty good idea of what must be happening, though I couldn't tell for sure.  Shippo's description of the situation now made a litte too much sense for my liking, and I decided that I should go for a walk, even if I couldn't find Inuyasha.

I was a bit bothered that he had run out like that after I gave him that box of chocolates, but I couldn't really be surprised, either.  Inuyasha has never been and will never be delicate or sensitive to my emotions.  I suppose it didn't matter that much, but I had hoped to spend some time with Inuyasha.  After all, it was Valentine's Day.

After I had been walking for a while, I noticed that I was close to the Goshinboku, so I decided to check there for Inuyasha.  It was the same tree where I first found him, so long ago, after being pinned there for fifty years by Kikyo, the woman he couldn't ever give up.  I wasn't surprised to see him seated on a high branch, stuffing his face with chocolate.

"If you eat all of them, you'll end up like Shippo-chan." I spoke up, grabbing his attention.

"Feh.  Like I'm an idiot.  What happened?" he asked.  "Did that little brat cram all his chocolate down his throat right away and end up running for Kaede-baba?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much how it went." I replied.  I notice that he was stowing the box away in a nook created by intersecting branches close to the tree trunk, and I wondered if he was just going to stay up there or if he had something to say to me.

"I was looking for you." He told me.  My eyes probably looked like they were about to pop out of my head, I was so surprised.  I wasn't shocked that he was looking for me or anything.  I know he likes to keep tabs on me, since he says I'm a "fucking trouble magnet."  The strange thing was that he was actually volunteering the information that he had been looking for me, even if his tone was a bit begrudging.

"So was I." I told him, and he hopped down, looking at me as though he was thinking about saying something, but wasn't sure yet.  He looked that way a lot of the time, but mostly he never said whatever it was he was thinking about.

"Hope you didn't look in Kaede-baba's hut." He smirked a little, and I burst out laughing at the joke.  So he'd heard it too, then.  We must have only just missed seeing each other.

"It seems that Sango and Miroku are getting in the holiday spirit." I blushed, surprised that I was able to even get the joke out in front of Inuyasha.  It was hard to be bold in front of him since I worried so much about what he thought of me.  That's the way love is, I suppose.  I shouldn't have worried, though, he laughed at my joke as much as I'd laughed at his.  Then he seemed to make up his mind.

"Come on, I wanna show you something." he told me, turning around so I could climb on his back, wondering what it could be.  He leapt to the treetops with no warning, but I was used to riding on his back, and Inuyasha always took care not to let go of me, so I wasn't worried.  Now that we were above the trees, I could see the sun sitting low in the sky, showing me that it was late afternoon.  Whatever it was, this must not be a very long trip since Inuyasha would hate to miss dinnertime.  Though I seriously wondered if Sango and Miroku would _stop _for dinner.  Of course, this line of thinking only led me to blush, and I buried my head in Inuyasha's hair to hide my face.  Besides, his hair always smelled so good.  It was clean, but it smelled like the forest and like something else that was distinctively Inuyasha.  It was one of my favorite smells.

"You okay back there?" Inuyasha moved his neck slightly, and I assumed he was probably trying to see why my face was buried in his hair, but since I was at the back of his neck, he couldn't really see what was going on.

"Fine." I answered, blushing deeper, causing me to bury my head even deeper, until my face unintentionally broke through the soft barrier of silver hair and burrowed into his neck.  I was too embarrassed to move, even though my lips were brushing up against the back of his neck.  I think it's fair to say he noticed, since his arms suddenly went so tight I thought he was trying to cut my legs off.  "I just looked down and I got kinda dizzy."  I claimed, hoping it wasn't too obvious of a lie.  I was having a bit of a hard time thinking straight.  Inuyasha's arms loosened again, but I couldn't ignore what was going on.

"That's weird.  I didn't know you were scared of heights." he didn't sound very sure of himself, so I thought I might be able to pull it off.

"Uh, it comes and goes." I answered.  Wow, that was amazingly believable.  I apparently am the only known case to suffer from unpredictable acrophobia.  Very convincing.  At least he stopped asking me questions, but I was pretty sure he was just confused by the complex web of ridiculous crap I'd just woven.  I felt so stupid.  It was just his _neck _after all.  It smelled nice, though.  Like his hair, but a lot warmer.  Almost hot to the touch.

"Okay." he grunted slightly as we landed, and I think I almost jumped off his back, I was so embarrassed.  To avoid him seeing my blush, I turned away, taking in my surroundings.

We were high on the side of a mountain, a small bluff marking our landing spot in front of a small cave.  I thought I saw some things inside the cave, but I was immediately drawn to the amazing view all around me.  From where I stood, I could see down into the forest we'd come from, and I saw a small clearing I thought might be the village.  And there, to the west, the sun was becoming even lower in the sky, the clouds streaked with pink and orange.

"It's so beautiful..." I didn't know what else to say, and I was amazingly touched by it all.  I mean, I never expected Inuyasha to try and show me something as beautiful as this.  I didn't think it was something that he did, or would ever do.  He was just so...Inuyasha.  He was sweet in his own way, I'll admit, but I would never have expected him to sweep me off to some lovely little spot to watch the sunset.  I was touched, to say the least.  I noticed then that Inuyasha hadn't said anything, but he looked very serious.

"Kagome?" He finally spoke up, and he sounded so serious that I felt a bit of hope.  Maybe...after all those things he'd said about needing to die with Kikyo and protecting her and all that...maybe he'd changed his mind.  "Kagome, did you...um, did you bring back any more chocolate with you?"

"What?"  What the hell was he talking about?  Chocolate?  Why was I even surprised?  This was all some stupid bribe to get more candy or something.  I couldn't believe it.

"I mean...if you brought a present for Kouga." Inuyasha sounded pretty worried, so I took a deep breath and smiled at him.

"No, I didn't." I answered honestly.  "I don't always see him, and anyway, you would have gotten upset, and I didn't want to cause trouble or give you a reason to start a fight."

"Oh...but what if you did buy him some?  Would you buy him a bigger box?" Inuyasha wanted to know.

Okay, I was trying to be patient with him, I really was!  But he was just acting like a baby!  I couldn't believe he'd brought me all the way out here just so he could start up the old Kouga jealousy routine.  So...I kind of burst.  "No!  What is wrong with you Inuyasha!  I don't know why you're so concerned about this, but I should have known!  I should have known that I couldn't just buy you a present and have it be a good thing!  You're so ungrateful!"

"Kagome..." he sounded a little chastised, but I didn't want to hear it.

"Osuwari!" I stomped to emphasize the words.  Not like they needed an emphasis, though.  Not with that loud thump and the inevitable curse that would follow.

"Bitch!" he snarled angrily.  I hate it when he calls me that, but I think he probably hates getting slammed into the ground all the time.  It must be hard on his pride, since it used to be that he thought nothing could dominate him.  But with the magical rosary, I can get my point across to his stubborn mind.

--Inuyasha's POV--

She fucking sat me!  I'm just being curious and asking a couple questions, and she fucking sat me!  I hate that!  I'm not allowed to fucking do anything, cause whatever I try, she slams me into the ground.  And she always has to look so smug after she does it.  I hate that shit.  Not that I care.  Cause really, I don't.

"You got me the most." I finally said something after standing up and brushing off my clothes.  She doesn't fucking know how hard it is to keep your clothes fucking clean when you're getting your ass slammed into the ground every five fucking minutes.  I should make her clean my clothes.  That'd show her who's boss.

"What?" She seemed kinda confused.  I guess she was still pissed off.

"The most chocolates." I pointed out the obvious.  Of course she got me the most, cause I'm the best and I'm in charge and she's gotta apologize for always challenging my fucking authority.  But I kinda wondered if that's really why.  I mean, it doesn't really matter to me, but I should know this stuff, being the boss and all that.  "Why?"

"Oh...I just..." she trailed off and moved over to the edge of the bluff.  What a dumbass.  She could fucking fall off the end and then what would I do?  I mean...cause I need her to find shards and all that.  That's why it would be bad.

"You could fall." I told her, moving up beside her.  I saw then that the sun was starting to set.  I used to watch sunsets with my mother when she was alive, so it's kinda one of those things I really like.  I mean, not like I'm sentimental or any of that bullshit, but the clouds are pretty.  Not that I care.  Cause I don't.

"I'm not stupid." She didn't really sound mad.  I know she likes it that I take care of her, since she is only a human.  If I wasn't around, she'd probably die like three times a day.  "You know, if I knew it was going to be such an issue, I wouldn't have brought a present for you at all.  I mean, you didn't even say thank you.  Everyone else did."  She folded her arms like she did when she was being stubborn, and I knew that I was supposed to say something nice or she'd probably sit me all the way off the bluff.

"Saying it doesn't mean anything." I told her just as stubbornly.  Fuck, if she wants an argument, I'll give her one, but I'll be damned if I'll just let her be right all the time.  Cause I'm in charge, after all.  "Isn't this enough?" I held out my hand, sweeping to include the scenery.  "I thought you'd like it."  I mean, it's not like I really cared or anything, but I did think she would like it.  "You're the only person I've ever brought here."

"Huh, I thought this would be one of the places you and Kikyo used to go." She was getting mad again.  What the hell?  I'm being all fucking nice and shit and she gets mad again?  What is wrong with that crazy bitch?

"Kikyo and I weren't like that." I told her roughly.  To show her what I meant, I grabbed her hand and held it in mine.  It's not like I needed to touch her or anything, but I was just showing her.  Kikyo and I would never have done things like that.  It's different with Kagome, that's all.

"What is this place?" Kagome was looking at me kinda strange.  Leaning forward, like she was waiting for something.  Maybe she wanted me to tell her about the cave, but I wasn't not sure.  It's kinda hard not to stare at her when she's doing that.

"I grew up here." I told her, pulling her back toward the cave to show her inside.  "After my mother died, I came here after a while and it was a good spot to stay, hard to get to and all, so I lived here for a long time.  Until that time..." I don't like talking about what Kikyo did to me, but Kagome knows.  She always knows what I'm talking about.  Except when she thinks I'm being mean or something like that.  Women are so fucked up.

"Really?  I always wondered where you stayed..." Kagome was looking around the cave, even though it was getting dark, so I decided to start a fire so she could see better.  There were a lot of old things in that cave, like the kimono I kept that used to be my mother's, and even some of the things she would give me when I was still a kid.  I don't really need that shit, but it'd be a lot of trouble to get rid of it, so I just keep it.

"It's nothing fancy." I told her, getting a little irritated that I couldn't smell her as well as I could a few minutes ago.  Fucking hanyou blood fucking sucks.  "But I don't need much to get by."

"I'm really glad you brought me here." she turned and smiled at me before she made an observation I really fucking didn't need.  "Oh...the new moon.  I almost forgot."

"Easy for you to forget it.  You're a human every day." I didn't mean to snap at her, but I hate feeling weak like that.  It's stupid.  "That's another reason I stayed here.  I wanted somewhere I could stay when I turned so that no one could find me and kill me when I'm weak like this."

"Oh, that makes sense." she came over and sat next to me.  I didn't know why she kept doing that lean forward thing, but I didn't know what she wanted from me.  "I'm getting kinda hungry.  Maybe we should leave."

"I have food here." I told her, going over to my futon and pulling a couple ramen cups from under the blankets.  "I was saving these up.  Just in case."  I love ramen.  Seriously, it's like the best food ever.

"I bet." she smiled at me like she didn't believe me.  Oh well, she can think what she wants to.  I was having some ramen for dinner.  I made the cups up pretty fast.  I like them a lot, so I had her teach me how to do it.  It's pretty easy since I'm so smart and all that.

"Here you go." I handed her one cup and began devouring my own dinner.  I love ramen.  It's the best thing that humans ever invented.  I finished mine in no time at all, but she fucking took her time like there was a reason to sit there for so long eating.  I decided to ask her something that had been bothering me, since maybe she was too distracted by ramen to get mad at my questions.  "Kagome?"

"Yeah?" she seemed to be close to finishing, so I knew I couldn't waste my time.

"Do you like me better this way?" Okay, I admit I would have never asked that if I was feeling normal, but it's weird when I'm a human.  Harder to block things out.  "Like a human, I mean."

"Why would you think that?" She looked a little upset, but not like she was mad, so I guess that was okay.  "You're Inuyasha.  I like you the same when you're human or hanyou or even full youkai, because you're still the same person, and I know that.  You may look a little different and act a little different, but you're still Inuyasha."

"Well...I just thought you would.  Since you know, Kikyo wanted me to be human." I explained to her.

"I'm not Kikyo." She sounded like she might start crying.  I fucking hate it when she cries!  "I'm never going to _be Kikyo.  I can't be that way, and I don't understand why you would want someone who only loves you if you can change for them.  That's not what love is.  It's loving someone no matter what.  Loving all of them."  Oh shit, now she's crying.  What the hell am I supposed to do now?_

"Kagome...don't cry." Okay, I know that never works, but I had to do _something_.  She turned away, like maybe I'd think she wasn't crying if I couldn't see her face.  What an idiot.  "Did you...mean that?  What you said about me?"

"You know, Inuyasha, it's very hard to be honest about how I feel when you won't even make up your mind." she sniffled, and I could tell she was still crying.  "You love Kikyo and I know that, but don't play with my head and make me wonder like this."

"Idiot." I couldn't believe she'd say something that ridiculous.  "You're the one who doesn't listen to what I say.  I've told you that I owe Kikyo, but I don't...I don't feel that way about her."  I pulled back on her shoulder, making her turn to face me.

"What...what does that mean?" she wanted to know.

"Why'd you give me the most chocolates?" I asked right back.  Her eyes got wide like she didn't know what to say.  That was okay.  I didn't want her to talk right then anyway.  Leaning down, I caught her lips with mine.  She was surprised at first, but she returned the kiss, so that was great.

I'd wanted to do that for so long.  Figures I'd have to be a chicken-shit human to do the bravest thing I ever thought of doing.  But it was good, you know.  Finally getting everything out in the open like that.  I mean, I admit I really did care about her.  I loved her.  But it's hard to say things that matter when you've got a reputation like I do.  Go figure.

*****

The End


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